Almost every treatment we offer changes over its first fortnight. Anti-wrinkle injections take a few days to start working and up to two weeks to reach their full effect. Fillers and skin boosters draw in water, so they look fuller on the day than they will a week later. Judging a result on the day it is done is like judging a painting while the paint is still wet.
What changes in two weeks
Swelling from the needle settles within a few days. Hyaluronic acid finds its level as it binds with water in the tissue. Muscles treated with anti-wrinkle injections relax gradually, and the brow and the eyes find a new balance. By the fourteenth day, the face in the mirror is the one other people will see for the next few months.
“We treat on the first day and finish at the review, once the face has settled and we can see it clearly.”
What happens at the review
You come back to the same room and the same clinician. We photograph your face by the north window in the same position as before treatment and look at the two pictures side by side. Most of the time nothing more is needed. Sometimes one side of the brow sits a little higher, or a cheek needs a touch more support, and we adjust it there and then.
The review takes fifteen minutes and is part of the treatment, so it costs nothing. Around one in five patients have a small adjustment at it, and most of them say they only saw the difference in the photographs.
Why we start with less
Knowing we will see you again at two weeks lets us start below the dose you might expect. Adding a little is always easier than waiting for too much to wear off, so the review is also what makes a lighter first treatment safe.
